Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

For one person, living costs are similar in Monterrey and in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: $1,599 and $1,611 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Monterrey and in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Monterrey vs $1,611 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Monterrey $1,599
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,611

A couple spends around $2,493 per month in Monterrey vs $2,409 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Monterrey $2,493
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,409

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Monterrey vs $3,207 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Monterrey $3,387
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,207

Monterrey is about 1% cheaper than Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monterrey and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur sit above the global median – Monterrey by 18%, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$10.35 MX$191

33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$48.09 MX$889

-0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$9.88 MX$182

7.79%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$3.37 MX$62.2

18.40%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$30.76

$1.44 MX$26.54

15.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$0.91 MX$16.86

8.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$2.39 MX$44.20

-1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$4.41 MX$81.5

0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.78 MX$32.84

2.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$3.03 MX$55.9

-6.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$2.38 MX$43.92

-19.33%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$2.35 MX$43.47

5.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$11.47 MX$212

2.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$9.65 MX$178

-5.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$13.41 MX$248

-6.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$2.59 MX$47.82

28.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.57 MX$28.94

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$1.62 MX$29.98

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$1.71 MX$31.57

44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$1.21 MX$22.29

90.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$1.84 MX$33.99

45.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$2.77 MX$51.3

-47.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.21 MX$22.31

-1.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.81 MX$88.9

-1.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$10.87 MX$201

24.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.54 MX$28.53

24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$3.48 MX$64.3

-17.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$0.90 MX$16.59

-12.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

$52.4 MX$968

-40.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$4.37 MX$80.8

-63.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$2.97 MX$54.9

-64.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$10.43 MX$193

3.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.41 MX$26.14

9.93%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$21.3K MX$394.1K

13.28%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$23.9K MX$441.5K

1.79%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$117 MX$2,159

$84.4 MX$1,560

38.37%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.38 MX$488

$24.86 MX$459

6.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$31.45 MX$581

-17.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$45.08 MX$833

-32.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

$30.06 MX$556

-29.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$4.13 MX$76.3

26.63%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$673 MX$12.4K

$226 MX$4,180

197.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$8,280 MX$153.0K

34.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$71.3 MX$1,317

1.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$52.5 MX$970

-19.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$95.2 MX$1,759

17.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$68.0 MX$1,257

74.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,190 MX$22.0K

-20.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$733 MX$13.5K

-9.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$2,509 MX$46.4K

-27.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$1,179 MX$21.8K

7.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$3,827 MX$70.7K

5.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$2,210 MX$40.8K

6.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$750 MX$13.9K

53.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.6

1.64%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$733 45.5% 10% $66

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$297 18.4% 2.6% $7.9

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$183 11.4% 17.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$141 8.7% 16.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$129 8% 16.9% $26

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$75 4.7% 81.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$53 3.3% 31% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $949 in Monterrey versus $1,190 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 54% higher in Monterrey, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Monterrey versus $48.00 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Groceries tell a different story – $304 in Monterrey vs $297 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur – so Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

17:13 5:13 PM

1 h behind Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

202,694

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Monterrey vs Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,399 per month in Monterrey and $2,416 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $673 per month in Monterrey and $226 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur at $1,611. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Monterrey – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.